Category: 21

We’ll be announcing a couple of additions to the lineup for Oct. 1-3 very soon. In the meantime, however, the above photograph of Matador’s Chris Lombardi, shown basking in the Palms’ Hardwood Suite, provides just a hint of what’s in store for those lucky enough to attend this sold-out event. Not shown : Tim Donaghy.

On August 27 & 28, New York will be graced with “The Public Hi-Fi Balloon,” an exhibit of more than 60 Robert Pollard collages at NYC’s The 45 Space (45 Bond Street, between Lafayette & Bowery), hosted by Vanity Fair’s Michael Hogan and visual artist Todd DiCiurcio.

You know Bob’s work from his album covers (or the 2008 Fantagraphics book of his art), but these are phenomenal pieces that need to be seen in person to fully appreciate.

Opening night is Friday, August 27, from 6-11 PM, and the exhibit will also be open to visitors on the 28th from 2-11 PM. Check Pollard’s website for more info.

You should also know that Bob Pollard shares a Halloween birthday with Vermeer, Johnny Marr, Ad-Rock, Larry Mullen Jr., and Vanilla Ice.

Well, as far as rumours for the Lost Weekend go that might be a little far fetched, but Savage Pencil took the opportunity to imagine how Thurston Moore might enjoy the Matador birthday celebrations in Vegas a little too much later this year.

You can see the comic strip for yourself in the latest edition of The Wire magazine and you can find more of Edwin Pouncey’s excellent Savage Pencil work here.

(some very weird stuff comes up on Google image seach when you enter “Matador 21”)

Earlier today, we sold out of our initial quantities of tickets and hotel packages for Matador At 21 : The Lost Weekend, taking place October 1, 2, 3 at the Palms Casino & Resort in Las Vegas. Said sales took somewhere between 2 and 15 minutes to complete, and we sincerely apologize to anyone who was stymied in their attempts to purchase tickets.

We’re pretty certain these tickets will sell out very quickly. At present, we cannot guarantee any additional tickets beyond this batch will be offered for public sale, but if that change, we’ll certainly let you know.

(ADDENDUM For those that were able to get tickets but not reserve a room at the Palms please look into the Gold Coast which is located across the street from the Palms Resort. The rooms are very affordable and you will be close to the action. THE EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT. THANKS TO EVERYONE.

NEW UPDATE: The Ticketfly links are live for the three packages (tickets+hotel rooms, tickets a la carte, and tickets installment/layaway plan: HERE.

NEW NEW UPDATE: THE EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT ALMOST SOLD OUT (SEE DIRECTLY BELOW). For those who were able to get tickets but not reserve a room at the Palms, please look into the Gold Coast which is located across the street from the Palms Resort. The rooms are very affordable and you will be close to the event.

NEW NEW NEW UPDATE: VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF REMAINING TICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY, JULY 10 at 9 AM PDT. More details at this link.

1.) What is the cost and how do the tickets / hotel rooms work?

The cost of the show starts at $SOLD for a three-night pass plus an additional $SOLD per night to stay at the Palms. You can have up to 4 people in one room and the option to purchase up to 4 tickets. After the initial swathe of tickets is sold out, the cost of the show goes up to $SOLD for a three night pass. You must buy hotel rooms with these tickets – sorry if that seems extreme, but it’s how we were able to make this work economically with this lineup of bands in an intimate venue. We negotiated this rate for you and it’s a good one. There will be all-night events going on at Palms, and the concept is for a familial event with label staff, artists and fans all mingling and staying at the same site.

VIP tickets are available for $SOLD. These tickets (21+ only) will get you:

– Reserved Seating at the Pearl (AT THE FRONT)
– Access to Opening Party on Friday with open bar with staff and bands
– More TBA

For Las Vegas residents, there will be 100 tickets available for $SOLD at the two Zia Records locations in Las Vegas, for locals. These do not require purchase of hotel rooms. Tickets will be awarded via lottery at both locations, so please, don’t attempt to camp out at either store early that morning or the night before.

In response to demand, we are also offering a limited number of a la carte passes for $SOLD for those who choose not to stay at the Palms. These will be available Friday, July 9th with a 2 ticket limit via the Ticketfly site only.

Once the a la carte passes and the local tickets at Zia are sold out, ALL TICKETS WILL REQUIRE THE PURCHASE OF A HOTEL ROOM.

2.) Will there be an installment plan to buy tickets?

Yes. Details will be available on the Ticketfly site. (The installment plan does not apply to the Zia tickets.)

3.) Can I purchase multiple hotel rooms at the time I purchase the tickets?

Yes.

4.) Can I purchase a ticket without a hotel room if I’m staying in someone else’s room?

No. The only tickets without rooms are the Zia tickets and the limited $250 a la carte passes. Sorry, but that was the only way we could make this work.

5.) Does the VIP package include a room upgrade?

No. You’ll have to purchase the room upgrade separately. When you get the rooms/tickets this Friday, it will tell you that you will have the opportunity to upgrade your room (as well as your ticket package, should you so desire) subsequently.

6.) Is the event all-ages?

The Pearl Theater is all-ages, however access to the Palm’s casino floor, as with all other bars and lounges, is restricted to those 21 and over. 95% of the performances are at the Pearl.

7.) What time are the shows starting / ending? What’s the running order?

We’ll be posting full schedules shortly before that weekend, but we intend to start the music early Friday evening, and concluding late Sunday evening.

8.) Will more bands be added to the bill?

A few more, yes. We’ll be making periodic announcements on the Matablog.

9.) Given the interest in this event, why wasn’t a larger venue chosen?

We were pretty keen on maintaining some level of intimacy; we’d discussed a number of different locations around the country, but sound and sightline considerations trumped our thoughts of how-to-sell-the-most-tickets-possible.

10.) Can I bring my cat?

Matador Records and Palms Casino and Resort respect all State of Nevada laws concerning service animals.

11.) What sort of additional events — parties, performances — etc. are planned for the weekend?

That’s still being determined, but rest assured that we are taking full advantage of our host venue.

12.) What sort of merchandise will be available?

A series of items commemorating the weekend will be for sale on site, as well as merch from the respective bands. In addition, we’re making arrangements with an independent record retailer to sell various vinyl and CD titles.

13.) “If I reserve a room can it be transfered to someone else?. Can I sell the room on eBay or another site to someone that wants it?”

No. You can share your room with whoever you want, but reservations cannot be resold or transferred.

14.) Will tickets be shipped or available via will call?

All tickets will be available for pickup at the Palms starting Friday, October 1. We’re trying to prevent the sort of scalper/eBay action alluded to above.

15.) “Can I record, photography or videotape the performances?”

What we’ll loosely dub “professional recording / photography / video equipment” cannot be brought into the Pearl. Point and shoot cameras are permissible, but flash photography will not be allowed.
If you require a photo pass or work for a newsgathering organization, please take that up with our publicity department.16.) Are the seats reserved, or is the event general admission?

Regular tickets are general admission. You may watch from the standing area in front of the stage (limited capacity, first-come first-served each day), or sit in any available, non-reserved seat.

VIP tickets are reserved seats in the front.

17.) Is the Pearl accessible to persons with disabilities?

There are handicapped-accessible seats in the Pearl. Please refer any more specific questions on this topic to Palms Casino and Resort.

5 Card Stud Poker – How to Play Five Card Stud Poker, Rules, Strategy Tips
The objectives and basic strategies for playing 5 Card Stud Poker that are shown here are those generally agreed to and recommended by the experts on bet limit poker games. Understanding the rules and basics is needed to know how to play at all competetive levels. Solid intermediate and expert level poker normally requires lots of at-the-table, or online game playing experience.

After all players have anted $.25 or so, (1.) Each player is dealt one card face down and one face up. The player with the lowest upcard makes an forced bet of either $1 half minimum bet or $2 full bet (player’s choice) to start the game*. The rest of the players, in clockwise order, either call the opening bet, raise it, or not call and “fold” their hands back to the dealer. (2.) All get a third card face up followed by a round of $2 betting. From this round on, the player with the highest upcard(s) is always first to check or bet. (3.) After the fourth card is dealt face up, the minimum bet goes to $4. (4.) Then the fifth card is dealt face up and followed by the final round of $4 betting. The dealer then determines the highest hand and awards the pot.

*(Note). Only for the purpose of determining the lowest upcard to bring in the betting, the card denominations are sub-divided by these suit values in decending order: Spades the highest, through Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs the lowest.

How to Play Five Card Stud

General Strategy:

Five Card Stud is mostly a game of HIGH CARDS and PAIRS. Don’t play for straights and flushes unless you have three cards to a straight flush on third street, or it looks like you might luck into a straight or flush on fourth. With only one down card, it is easier than most games to put your opponents on hands. Pay close attention to how they each play. Usually don’t start without either a pair or at least one live card that beats the board. Usually fold if you do not have at least a pair in the first three cards. Almost always fold when you are beaten on the board and do not have a good draw to the best hand.

Definitions:

HIGH CARDS – 10 thru A .
LOW CARDS – 2 thru 9
DOOR CARD – The exposed upcard of a starting hand.
LIVE DARDS – Cards that have not been revealed on the board and are possible to get.
DEAD CARDS – Cards that have been revealed and no longer in the deck.
FAST PLAY – Bet, raise and re-raise to get as many other players out as possible.
SLOW PLAY – Just check and call along to keep other players in the game and increase the pot odds.
CHECK-FOLD – Check when you can and fold if you are bet into. Gladly accept all free cards offered.
Playable Starting Hands:
ANY PAIR – Fast play low pairs to try to get heads up. Consider folding if you don’t get trips or a live upcard on third street. Bet/Call high pairs.
BOTH CARDS HIGHER Than the BOARD – ie: You hold 9 8 and there is no opponent upcard that is higher than 7.
HIGH HOLE CARD that BEATS the BOARD with ANY UPCARD – ie: You have Q down/ 6 up and there is no opponent upcard that is higher than Jack.
HIGH HOLE CARD with a HIGH UPCARD that BEATS the BOARD – An Ace up is a good hand that you can sometimes take past third street unpaired, if you have a good kicker. The high card in the hole does not have to beat the board.

Strategy Tips:
DON’T PLAY for STRAIGHTS and FLUSHES, except for three cards to a straight flush.

USUALLY FOLD if you don’t have a PAIR or better in the FIRST THREE CARDS.

Remember the folded cards so that you know which cards are “live”.

Play only live cards from the start and at least semi-live cards from the middle to the end.

Study your opponents. When he or she plays a low upcard, it is likely that the card is paired or just a loose starting hand of some sort. Does the player bluff?

Can he or she be bluffed, etc.

Unless you are playing a strong draw hand, usually fold if your complete hand is beaten on the board by an opponent’s upcards.

Usually don’t play low hole cards.

Don’t fall in love with your Ace in the hole. If that’s all you have, against apparent strong hands, usually fold early.

Beware of the paired door card. This often means trips, especially if it is a low pair.

Get caught bluffing once in a while. It is a way to vary your play and not be too predictable. You win pots that you don’t deserve when your bluff works. You lose a few chips when it doesn’t work but it will get you calls from weaker hands down the line when you are strong and need the action.

Look for reasons to fold early. When someone else gets the card you wanted or you suspect that you are unprofitably chasing a better hand – fold it up. Trust your instincts and you will usually be right.

(FRIDAY, JULY 9 ADDENDUM : Earlier today, we sold out of our initial quantities of tickets and hotel packages for Matador At 21 : The Lost Weekend, taking place October 1, 2, 3 at the Palms Casino & Resort in Las Vegas. Said sales took somewhere between 2 and 15 minutes to complete, and we sincerely apologize to anyone who was stymied in their attempts to purchase tickets.

We’re pretty certain these tickets will sell out very quickly. At present, we cannot guarantee any additional tickets beyond this batch will be offered for public sale, but if that change, we’ll certainly let you know.

Tickets for “The Lost Weekend” aka Matador’s 21st birthday celebrations at The Palms will go on sale this Friday morning at 9am, PST. Here’s the details you’ve been hassling all of us about over the last week (and don’t think we don’t appreciate it)

a) Tickets/Pricing : An initial quantity will be on sale Friday for $SOLD. .After the $SOLD tickets sell out, the price increases to $SOLD. A Ticketfly.com link will be posted on this site on Thursday, July 8th. Starting Friday, you’ll have the opportunity to reserve standard rooms at the Palms for the discounted rate of $SOLD per night (the full 3 nights of the festival, only). The rooms feature two double bed and occupancy of up to 4 persons is allowed. The above rate is only available when purchasing tickets thru us. If you are interested in upgrading to a larger room or a suite you will be able to do so after purchasing the standard room. TICKETS FOR THE 3 NIGHTS + ROOMS are being sold jointly — we’re not selling tickets to the shows separately at this time, nor are we selling tickets for individual nights.

(ADDENDUM -i) A limited number of 3-day tickets priced at $SOLD—with no Palms reservation required — will be available Friday morning at 9am PST via Ticketfly.com

ii) if, for example, you’re buying 4 tickets to the shows, the $SOLD per night hotel fee can cover up to 4 people. $SOLD over 3 nights divided by 4 is hopefully not an crazy amount to charge for rooms in a world class resort).

B) VIP tickets. A limited number of VIP packages will be available at $SOLD — details about what you’ll get for the $SOLD are forthcoming. You’ll have the ability to upgrade from the regular tickets, assuming the VIP tickets aren’t sold out.

D) MORE BANDS. OK, we’re working on it. But in addition to the 19 artists confirmed on the above poster, we can confirm the original lineup of COME — Thalia Zedek, Chris Brokaw, Sean O’Brien and Arthur Johnson — will be participating. Actually, we already know who some of the other bands are, we’re just trying to drag this out. MORE MATABLOG CONTENT between now and October!

E) Set times – we’ll post these the week before the event.

F) These shows are open to all ages. However, access to the casino floor is limited to those 21 and over.

F) WHAT ABOUT LAS VEGAS HUMANS? Las Vegas’ Zia Records is selling 50 tickets to “The Lost Weekend” starting Friday, July 9. You’ll need a Nevada I.D. Reservations at the Palms are not required to purchase these tickets.

(ADDENDUM II :

INFORMATION FOR TICKETS AVAILABLE IN LAS VEGAS

Zia Records

4225 South Eastern Avenue

Las Vegas, NV 89119-5485

702-735-4942

Zia Records

4503 W. SAHARA

LAS VEGAS, NV 89102

702-233-4942

Tickets will go onsale at both stores at 10:00am on Friday, July 9th via lottery. By overwhelming demand by Nevada Residents we will be increasing the amount of tickets available (50 X 2 = 100) . There is a two ticket limit. Nevada state ID required for purchase. Any questions please email 21@matadorecords.com

As mentioned previously in this space, Matador will be celebrating the label’s 21st anniversary this October and this much we can finally confirm : there will be 3 nights of shows starting Friday October 1, and concluding Sunday October 3 at the Palms Casino & Resort In Las Vegas, NV. We’ll be dropping further hints about the amazing lineup in the days ahead, but a final announcement and information about how to purchase tickets will be made here at the trusty Matablog on July 5. Are you as psyched as we are? (hopefully yes, because we’re getting in for free).

(ADDENDUM – there’s been a bit of confusion so just to clear things up, tickets DO NOT GO ON SALE JULY 5. We’ll merely be announcing the on sale date/time on July 5. thanks – GC)

With our 21st birthday pending, Matador’s research department is currently combing thru microfilm, dental records and ancient shrouds for clues that might shed light on how exactly American’s Most Beloved Independent Label came to fruition. It’s a painstaking process — much like the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, human lives have been lost. And don’t think I’m not feeling guilty about it ; what’s the point of sending bright young men into a cavern without protective headgear when I could’ve just asked them to check out Michael Duane’s Facebook page?